Where is the Routeburn Track?

Since the 1880's the Routeburn Track has proved to be one of the
most accessible and popular journeys into New Zealand's forests and
mountains.

The Routeburn Track passes through two national parks, Fiordland
and Mount Aspiring, and is part of Te Wahipounamu, South West New
Zealand World Heritage Area. The area is a haven for native
birdlife: the Robin; Fantail; Parakeet; Bellbird; Yellowhead and
watch out for the resident Kea at Routeburn Falls! The variety of
landscapes will astound you: mountainous peaks; sheer rock faces;
alpine basins; pristine lakes; cascading waterfalls; luxuriant
forest; turquoise rivers and million dollar views around every
corner.

The Routeburn Track Guided Walk is a 3 day / 2 night Queenstown
to Queenstown all-inclusive guided walk exploring New
Zealand's Southern Alps. The package includes all transport,
accommodation, meals, snacks, backpacks and rain jackets.
Accommodation is in our comfortable lodges and you will be led by
our expert guides.

History

The first human traffic in the Routeburn area (around 1500AD) is
believed to have been local Maori on the pursuit of their precious
Pounamu (New Zealand Greenstone or Jade). The Routeburn itself
didn't contain large quantities of Greenstone, but was used by
Maori as a passage between two of their main sources, the Dart
Valley and the Arahura River on the West Coast.

David McKellar and George Gunn were the first Europeans to map the
area whilst searching for grazing land in 1861. Gold was discovered
and so the government investigated establishing a port on the West
Coast and a track up the Routeburn Valley over the Harris Saddle to
the Hollyford Valley with the intention of transporting gold
overseas. Work was started on the track but abandoned in 1870.
However the Routeburn did become the link between those families
who had settled in the Hollyford Valley and the Wakatipu, which was
a thriving commercial centre.

The first sightseers from Queenstown up the Routeburn Valley were
in the 1880s. The NZ Government Department of Tourism was set up in
the early 1900s, and work on the Routeburn Track restarted. In 1912
a direct route from the saddle to Lake Howden was investigated,
which led to the discovery of Lake Mackenzie. Construction of the
track began, but tools were downed with the outbreak of World War 1
and this section was not completed until the late 1930s.